Excitement filled the air around me. I could never be more excited, and somewhat sad, to go out and live my life beyond the wall of this orphanage. As I was getting ready to go, filled with eagerness, I heard someone downstairs calling my name. "MARK! Get your tiny, donut shaped...". "Donut Shaped?!" I shouted as I literally threw on my clothes and tumbled my way downstairs, almost breaking the wall in front of me. "Since when are you calling my butt donut shaped? First it is flat toned, then it is smelly arse, now...". "Donut shaped indeed! And have you smelled your own farts recently?" as I got cut off.
That was Alrik. He is a dwarf and my closest best friend a guy can ask for. He is somewhat taller than the average dwarf as he says. I tell him he looks like a vertically challenged dwarf who didn't get height in his genes. Boy did he get a kick out of that one. He somehow almost got my head when he swung his arm at me. That, was the first, and last, time I said that. Now, I just call him fun sized for his nickname. Yup, that's right! Mr. Fun-Sized. "I guess you do know what they smell like since you so happen to be at head level with my butt. By the way, how is being fun-sized doing for you?" Alrik almost decapitated my head with his rug for a club. "Why, you little..."
"ENOUGH!" as Alrik and I get smacked on the head with energy formed clubs. "Are you two seriously still at it with the name calling? I should put both of you in the heat box!" Both Alrik and I shivered and froze at the mention of heat box. The heat box was essentially the, "Go to the corner", punishment but 50 times worse. It is pretty much like hell condensed to the heat of twenty suns in a sauna room, however it was meant for punishment. "Please, anything but that!" pleading for mercy. "If today wasn't your proving grounds mission, you would have gotten zero mercy from me!". That was Octavius. He used to be the head commander of this regions army. Now, he says he had his heart changed and wanted to start an orphanage to raise kids without families. Me thinks he wants to beat the living squash out of the orphans here into shape some days.
"Sorry sir!" as I stand straight and in a formation type style. "Sorry, ole geezer". I turned around, grabbed Alrik by the collar and swung him into the air and slammed him in the ground while twisting in the air, getting on top of his back, and locked him in a head lock. Funny thing is, I didn't do that. My body somehow magically did this on it's own accord. Then I realized Octavius used his energy adept abilities to essentially do the punishing moves lazily. "Show some respect!" Octavius said as he manipulated the energy to tighten the head lock. "t-t-t-th-tho-thowy." as Alrik croaked for any air in his lungs. Octavius released the spell bind and I urgently helped my friend to his feet. "You idiot, haven't you learned by now?" Obviously not as I answered my own question as soon as I asked it. He looks so dumbfounded like he did something wrong.
"Let's go! Before the both of you arrive late to the proving grounds ceremony." Octavius turned around and walked outside to the proving grounds. Alrik and I followed close behind him. The proving grounds ceremony happens pretty much once a year to pretty much celebrate all of the orphans who reach of age and leave to go out into the world as there own person. I have been looking forward to this day since I have arrived here. I made it a personal mission of mine to figure out what my genealogy and my heritage is. All I have been told was that I arrived to the orphanage out of the blue mysteriously as a child. Eventually, that started to bother me as I got older.
The orphanage is essentially a home to all kids of all races. Orcs, dwarfs, elves, humans, goblins, you name it. The rarest one though was a dragonborn. I have been told that the only reason why a dragonborn shows up here was that they were unwanted due to there inherited adepts. Dragonborn otherwise usually keep there own safe in there own region and train them under there ways and traditions. I have been very curious about the dragonborn, but I could never get myself to go talk to him. I was way to nervous and chicken to go talk to people. I liked keeping to myself usually until I met my friend Alrik. As me and Alrik approached the grounds, we got lined up in our assigned places on the platform. Everyone from the orphanage and the village that was nearby showed up to watch the ceremony.
I felt my nerves start to kick in. 'Man, this is a lot of people' I thought to myself. I shivered. "This year has been a great year as we once more celebrate the graduation of the kids who become of age to move on and live life on there own. Today, we celebrate and congratulate 12 kids who have reached this age and have past the exams!" Everyone clapped their hands and cheered. Every year, kids who reach the age of 18 take an exam. If they passed, they get to graduate. If not, they had to retake it again next year. They got to go stay in the village though since they reached the age of 18 if they wanted to though. Luckily, it only took me and Alrik two tries to pass. The amount of times I had to ingrain the stuff I was showing him was brutal. He is unbelievably clueless. I had to show him what the difference of fire and water was and he forgot the next day. That surprisingly shocked me since he was a dwarf who comes from race that specializes in fire pretty much.
"This year, I have decided to do something different." Octavius continued. I have decided to split up these kids into 3 groups and send them out to a proving grounds mission." That shook the whole entire crown and us kids on the platform. Everyone was murmuring about what these missions were going to be. I on the other hand almost jumped right out of my boots. 'Seriously?! After all of that studying, I have to take another test?!' I looked around and noticed all the other orphans were just as shocked as I. Probably even thinking the same thing as I am.
"I also have pre-decided the groups as well and there missions and will send them out at sun rise tomorrow." Octavius and motioned to the other people on stage to go on to the next part of the ceremony. 'Great, not only do we have to go on this mission by force, but the group of people have already been pre-selected? Why do I feel like this is a form of punishment from this morning?' Me and Alrik exchanged worried expressions. As the speaker took his place, he started to announce what sounded like the names of different orphans for there groups. "Alrik, Branwen, Xathor, and Mark, please come forward!" That was a sigh of relief. At least I can take on this mission with my friend. The other two on the other hand are a different story.
Everyone in the crowd seemed like they were more shocked. An elf, dwarf, human, and dragonborn in one group seemed way to strange and abnormal. On the other hand though, all the other groups seem like they make sense. You got two goblins, who literally fit in with any group, and a dwarf and orc in one group and two elves and two Faes in the other group. But my group? It literally had to be the most odd balled group out of the bunch. Might as well pair a pirate with a mermaid and call them normal.
"Mark, Branwen, Xathor, and Alrik. Please grab a note from this bowl. This will determine what mission you will go on." The speaker announced. 'Interesting, why are we getting the first pick?' as I walked up to the speaker. I walked up with my group and I grabbed one randomly. I opened the notes seal and read the note. My heart dropped. "What the crap?! We have to do this for our first mission?" The rest of my group were put to shock as well. Our first mission is to acquire a crystal drite from the dwarven ruins.
First of all, crystal drite's are pretty much impossible, if not a myth, to find. Secondly, its the dwarven ruins. If I remember it right, there have been sightings of an earthen golem or two roaming around that area, making it pretty much off limits to go check out. Everyone else in my group sighed in defeat. "Well, who wants candy?" I asked as I already set my mind on the fact that we were already going to fail. I grabbed my candy to munch on only for it to get snatched out of my hands and get burnt to a crisp from the speaker. "Hey! I was going to eat those!" trying to grab them back in vain. "You will not make a fool f yourself! This is an important day and you are not making a good impression as the leader of your group!" he huffed. "Hold on, who said I was going to be the leader of this group?!" I exclaimed.
"I did." Octavius said as he approached. "Now, go pack up your stuff and get ready for the mission tomorrow. You will need to be prepared for the journey ahead of you."
"But..." as I begin to plea.
"NOW!" he boomed, freezing me in my place. Me and the rest of my group slumped and went back to our rooms to get ready for the morning tomorrow. "This is going to be a lovely adventure filled with wondrous tales of adventure." Xathor expressed. "More like a lovely adventure filled with cracked ribs and broken limbs" I retorted. I couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was being actually serious. "Oh I know, probably will have to hop on our way back with a peg leg" Xathor said.
"That doesn't help."
"But it will be fun though before we arrive at least?'
"..."
"..."
"... I guess that's a good way think about it" I replied.
"Are you people seriously not done packing yet?" Branwen said in shock as she entered. "I am already done packing and three are still figuring out what to pack for clothes. This is disappointing, especially for our "leader"."
"Hey, you don't have to be that cold" Alrik said as finished packing. "We are not on your level of up and go you know".
"You have been here, training and getting up at 4 in the morning for how long?" Branwen replied bitterly.
Alrik and Branwen looked at each other angrily, ready to decapitate each other's heads.
"Cool it you two. Go grab dinner later. Nows not the time." Xathor put himself between the two to stop each other from fighting.
'That is a very bold move.' I thought.
"Why would I have dinner with this vile dwarf?!" Branwen said as she picked up her stuff and went downstairs.
The three of us stood in silence. "Thanks for stopping the fight Xathor." I said as I finished packing. "That would have probably turned into a cat fight".
"Ohhhh most definitely" as Xathor finished with his packing. "Well, you ready?"
"No, but I guess we have no choice". I got up and went downstairs, Alrik and Xathor following behind. As we made it downstairs, we went to the weapons closet to grab our weapons and headed out to the north gates of the orphanage. My group was given a map to follow and we were to told that the ruins were to the north. Grabbing our gear me and my group headed out to the dwarven ruins.